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Lawyer Michael Avenatti Sentenced To 14 Years In Federal Prison- What Happened?
For evading taxes and stealing millions of dollars from clients, attorney Michael Avenatti, who gained notoriety by defending porn star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against US president Donald Trump, received a 14-year sentence in federal prison.
Avenatti, 51, was also forced to pay nearly $8 million in restitution in Orange County district court on Monday after admitting he secretly collected settlement money paid to his clients and used some of it to buy a private plane.
Avenatti’s sentence, according to Judge James V. Selna, will run concurrently with the five years he is already doing for being found guilty in New York of extortion against Nike and stealing from Daniels.
Avenatti was arguing that Selna should only impose a six-year sentence instead of the 17-and-a-half years that federal prosecutors in Santa Ana had requested.
Additionally, he tried to have his new term run concurrent with the punishment he is currently receiving for the New York charges, but his argument was failed.
The prosecution also claimed that Avenatti defrauded customers out of $12 million, one of them was a paraplegic with mental illness who was receiving disability. He said that the actual loss suffered by his clients was closer to $3.8 million.
Michael Avenatti, 51, was sentenced to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $8million to former clients whose settlement money he stole
Attorney Michael Avenatti , who rose to fame representing porn star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against former president Donald Trump. He was convicted in New York of stealing from her in New York
Avenatti’s disabled client Geoffrey Ernest Johnson wrote in a statement to the court that the experience had left him heartbroken and unable to trust people. Prosecutors said that Avenatti collected $4million from Los Angeles County on behalf of Johnson who suffered in-custody injuries and was left paraplegic after a suicide attempt
Despite having lost his legal license, the attorney defended himself during the trial and spoke about himself in the third person in court filings.
In a memo to the judge, Avenatti stated that the defendant deserved a prison sentence as due consequence for his conduct.
He continued, “He also deserves to lose his reputation, his possessions, his 22-year legal career, his many personal and professional contacts, and his law license, practically all of which have already been rightfully removed from him.”
According to the LA Times, Geoffrey Ernest Johnson, a disabled client of Avenatti, expressed his heartbreak and lack of ability to trust others in a statement to the court.
‘To this day, I do not know why Michael lied and deceived me, why he broke my trust, why he broke my heart,’ Johnson wrote.
Avenatti urged the judge to take into account his challenging background in Missouri.
According to the prosecution, Avenatti obtained $4 million from Los Angeles County on behalf of Johnson, who attempted suicide while in detention and sustained injuries that left him quadriplegic.
Avenatti paid Johnson lesser sums ranging from $1,000 to $1,900 that he referred to as advances on the full settlement, while denying that the settlement had been received.
I had complete faith in him, and I had faith in what he had told me, but it was all part of his scheme to cheat me out of my settlement, Johnson continued.
Because of what Michael did, “I still have trouble trusting people, and I live in constant fear of being taken advantage of again, especially given my physical disability.”
Avenatti attended court in a prison uniform and sneakers. He told the judge that he never set out to con his clients.
‘Your honor, at no point in time did I set out to bilk my clients,’ he said, adding that he was ‘deeply remorseful and contrite.’ He later said: ‘I am not an evil or vile man.’
He also asked the judge to consider his tough upbringing in Missouri.
Avenatti admitted that he stole money from another client – Alexis Gardner (pictured), who was paid $2.75million by her ex-boyfriend and Miami Heat player Hassan Whiteside
Before sentencing, Avenatti apologized to the four victims in the case, three of whom were in the courtroom
The discredited attorney used $2.5 million of Gardner’s funds to purchase a stake in an eight-seater Honda plane, which the government will now seize.
Avenatti also acknowledged throughout the trial that he had stolen money from Alexis Gardner, who had received $2.75 million from her ex-boyfriend, Miami Heat player Hassan Whiteside.
She hired Gardner, a barista and actor, to negotiate a settlement with Whiteside. Who knows what she claimed.
Gardner used $2.5 million of his own funds to purchase a portion of the eight-seater Honda jet, which the government will now seize.
Before sentencing, Avenatti apologized to the four victims in the case, three of whom were in the courtroom.
I am very sorry and repentant,’ Avenatti declared. There is no question that they all deserve far more, and I sincerely hope that someday they will accept my apologies and forgive me.
Avenatti’s criminal behavior “arose from planned choices and grave violations of the confidence” his clients placed in him, the prosecutor told the court.
He didn’t resort to his unlawful behavior out of need, desperation, or an incapacity to do anything else, Sagel claimed. Despite having a top-notch education and a successful legal career, the defendant repeatedly decided to perpetrate the heinous crimes in this case.
Avenatti rose to fame representing porn star Daniels in her lawsuit against former president Donald Trump
A jury found Avenatti guilty of wire fraud and identity theft in February, and he now exits the Manhattan federal court.
Without reaching a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, Avenatti admitted guilt to four charges of wire fraud and a tax-related crime earlier this year. He stated before the court that he wanted to be held accountable and protect his family from future humiliation.
He is currently incarcerated in Southern California for two different cases. In one case, he was found guilty of robbing Daniels of the revenue from her book, and in the other, of attempting to extort $25 million from Nike.
Avenatti represented Daniels in her lawsuit to break a confidentiality agreement with Trump to stay silent about an affair she said they had. Daniels became one of Trump’s leading adversaries, attacking him on news programs and Twitter.
The government dropped all other remaining charges against Avenatti stemming from a 36-count indictment.
Avenatti, who has been locked up most recently at a low-security prison in San Pedro was escorted into the court on Monday by US Marshals deputies.
